PM Magyar announces headquarters of new asset recovery office

Hungary’s newly established National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office (NVVH) will be based in Budapest’s Markó Street, in the building currently used by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced in Parliament on Friday.

The announcement came as MPs prepared to vote on the institution’s leadership, marking another step in the new government’s plans to strengthen the recovery and protection of public assets.

Magyar said the office would initially move into the Markó Street building after Supreme Court judges leave the premises. The building will have a number of vacant offices available, allowing the new institution to begin operating there.

The prime minister described the location as a symbolic one, as the building is situated next to the headquarters of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Why is the Supreme Court leaving?

The Markó Street building, known as the Palace of Justice, was constructed between 1913 and 1918 for the then Ministry of Justice. It is currently used by the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Criminal Division of the Budapest Court of Appeal.

However, the Supreme Court will eventually move to another historic Palace of Justice opposite Parliament on Kossuth Square.

That building was constructed between 1893 and 1896 for the former Supreme Court and is currently undergoing renovation. Once the refurbishment is completed, the Supreme Court will relocate there, freeing up space in the Markó Street building for the new asset recovery office.

Magyar said the NVVH’s permanent headquarters should be ready within the coming weeks.

New office to receive HUF 2.3 billion

The government has also decided to transfer HUF 2.3 billion (around EUR 6.3 million) remaining from the budget of the former Sovereignty Protection Office to the new institution. Magyar said HUF 6 billion had originally been allocated to the now-abolished body, but only HUF 2.3 billion remained.

The money will be transferred to the budget line of the National Asset Recovery and Asset Protection Office, providing funding for its initial operations.

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Four deputy heads to work alongside the president

Parliament is voting on the head of the NVVH on Friday following a selection process carried out by the relevant parliamentary committee. The committee nominated Anna Unger for the presidency after hearing her presentation and questioning her about her plans for the institution.

MPs will vote by secret ballot on the president and one deputy president. If approved, they will take their oaths after the vote.

Magyar stressed that the new institution would not be run by its president alone. Four deputy heads will also work alongside the president, with three expected to be prosecutors and one a financial investigator. He described the structure as a collegiate body in which responsibility would be shared among its senior officials.

Magyar promises faster criminal proceedings

The prime minister also used his parliamentary speech to criticise the length of criminal proceedings in Hungary.

Magyar acknowledged that under the current system, some criminal cases can take as long as six years. He said the government would work to create a system in which most cases would not take five, ten or even 15 years to conclude.

He promised to provide investigators and prosecutors with the tools needed to speed up investigations, while also seeking faster court proceedings. The changes, he said, would apply not only to cases brought forward by the new asset recovery office but to criminal cases more broadly.

Political clash in Parliament

The announcement also triggered a political exchange between the government and opposition representatives.

Magyar argued that the previous Fidesz government had had 5,827 days to put Hungary’s affairs in order, but had failed to do so. He said the Tisza government had been in office for 107 days and had not performed a miracle, but had simply begun “looking after Hungarian people’s money”.

KDNP parliamentary group leader Bence Rétvári responded by pointing out that Magyar had himself been a member of Fidesz for 5,098 of those 5,827 days. Fidesz parliamentary group leader János Bóka compared Magyar to the captain of the Titanic, arguing that no matter how he turns the wheel, he cannot avoid the iceberg.